Knowing the Rules Makes you a Stronger Competitor

By: Tenna Merchent on August 7th, 2012

At the golf tournament last week, a fellow competitor told us about a caddy they had played with last year that had been difficult. On every green, the caddy asked the better player to move his mark, even if it was not in the line of play. The player cooperated, but after the round asked a rules official if it was necessary to move your mark if you are not in the line of play.

The same group played together the following day, and when the caddy asked the player (who coincidentally was shooting the lowest score) to move his mark. He declined if it was not in the line of play. The caddy making the request was angry, but the rules were on the players side. This caddy may have been trying to compromise the better player’s focus. Now however, the player was armed with proper knowledge of the rules, and stood in a stronger position.

The USGA has a wonderful site with Rules & Decisions, FAQs about the Rules of Golf, Quizzes, all sorts of things to quench your thirst for knowledge.